In Pastor Gábor Iványi’s office, a Bible rests alongside a striking photograph of a homeless man dozing on a bench outside Parliament, highlighting the government’s neglect of the poor. An image of Queen Elizabeth II is also present, commemorating her visit to the charismatic pastor, who leads a notable charity organization, during her trip to Hungary in 1993—a period that seemed to promise a strong alignment with Western European democratic ideals.
Iványi founded the Church of Fellowship and the Oltalom Foundation in Józsefváros, a struggling neighborhood in Budapest that stands as a testament against central authority. His organizations employ around a thousand individuals and operate homeless shelters and educational programs for thousands of disadvantaged students across Budapest and regions of Hungary facing severe poverty.
“We’re doing what the state should be doing; they should even be paying us for this work,” Iványi remarked. However, he noted that his Church of Fellowship lost its official status in 2011 due to legislation that cut public funding for organizations not aligned with the government, particularly those aligned with the Catholic Church. Iványi perceives this as personal retribution from Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who he has previously baptized his two children. Reflecting on the past, Iványi said, “During his first term as prime minister, I declined to be photographed with him. I believe he was seriously offended and has sought revenge ever since.”
Iványi is also politically active. As a former member of the liberal SzDSz party in Hungary’s first democratic parliament in 1990, he has consistently attended opposition protests since then, criticizing the woeful conditions of hospitals and schools, the misappropriation of public resources, and violations of democratic principles. He labeled the current state as “a system close to fascism, where everything is in the hands of one man.”
“I would rather not have to do all of this,” he admitted. “But who else will? Cowardice is everywhere; people fear losing their jobs, and businesses shy away from supporting us.” His charitable efforts, significantly hampered by lost subsidies and mounting debts and fines, rely solely on donations. Each year, individuals are allowed to allocate 1% of their taxes to a charity of their choice; last year, Iványi’s organizations received 3.8 million euros from 73,000 contributors.
His plight has intensified in recent years. Following a heavy-handed raid by approximately 30 agents in February 2022, the tax authorities imposed exorbitant demands. Just before the academic year began, authorities closed several of his schools, leaving numerous children in extreme poverty without educational options. Undeterred, Pastor Iványi remains inspired by Gandhi’s principles of civil disobedience.